Tai Asks Why

Tai and all of his friends are in a constant war with their parents over one big thing — screen time. For years, their parents have been telling them that screen time is bad and needs to be limited. But is it really? Tai finds out.

In this episode Tai talks to:

- Kara Bagot, child and adolescent psychiatrist at the Icahn School of Medicine

- Madeleine George, psychologist and analyst at RTI International

- Jenny Odell, writer and artist, author of How to Do Nothing.

For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/tai-asks-why-transcripts-listen-1.6747759

The ocean covers over 70% of our planet, and yet, we’ve only mapped about a tenth of it. We know more about the far side of the moon than we know about our own ocean! In this episode, Tai explores the deep ocean to learn about its mysteries and what survives in its darkest corners.

This week Tai spoke with:

- Verena Tunnicliffe, a marine biologist who has spent 30 years studying all the weird and wacky animals that thrive on the bottom of the ocean

- Melissa Omand, Assistant Professor of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island. She’s an explorer who uses robots to explore the ocean depths

- Bob Dziak, NOAA’s acoustic engineer, who has dropped sound recorders into places like the Mariana Trench.

For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/tai-asks-why-transcripts-listen-1.6747759

It’s easier than ever to be bamboozled by bad information. Tai and his friends are no exception—even smarty pants like them fall for things online. In this episode, Tai tries to figure out how to spot misinformation and how to stop it from spreading.

This week Tai spoke with:

- Andrea Bellemare, a CBC journalist who specializes in covering disinformation

- Seema Yasmin, disease expert

- Jemmika Anderson, media literacy expert and creator of I Am Not the Media

For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/tai-asks-why-transcripts-listen-1.6747759

Don’t tell anyone: Tai thinks he has two left feet and he still loves to dance when no one’s watching. But why do humans like to dance at all? What’s going on in the brain when people boogie? In this episode, Tai tangos into the activity that has helped humans and communities survive for thousands of years, with the help of his whole family.

Find transcripts for Tai Asks Why Here: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/tai-asks-why-transcripts-listen-1.6747759

This week Tai spoke with:

- Peter Lovatt, psychologist, author of The Dance Cure

- Ashley ‘Colours’ Perez, dancer and teacher @classwithcolours

For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/tai-asks-why-transcripts-listen-1.6747759

If you ever feel alone, you shouldn’t, because you are actually surrounded by viruses. They’re in you, they’re on you and, in fact, there are more viruses in the world than there are stars in the sky. So why aren’t we sick all the time? In this episode Tai looks at how viruses work, how they travel, and the ways in which they shape our lives—both bad and good.

This week Tai spoke with:

- Seema Yasmin, physician, writer and science communicator based at Stanford University

- Lena Ciric, environmental engineer and lecturer at University College London

For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/tai-asks-why-transcripts-listen-1.6747759

Tai’s 14 now. As he goes through adolescence, there are all sorts of weird things happening in his brain that are literally reshaping it, getting him ready for adulthood! But what’s happening in there? Why do humans even have an adolescent phase? And how can Tai harness his mental superpowers while he has them?

This week Tai spoke to:

- Frances Jensen, Chair of Neurology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

- Juliet Davidow, psychology professor who developed the Learning and Brain Development Lab at Northeastern University

For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/tai-asks-why-transcripts-listen-1.6747759

Notice anything different about Tai? It’s 2021 and he’s in high school now. A lot has changed, but not his insatiable quest for ANSWERS! Season 3 of Tai Asks Why will be out Wednesday, January 13. Catch you then.

Created and produced by parents of young children, Circle Round adapts carefully-selected folktales from around the world into sound- and music-rich radio plays for kids ages 4 to 10. Listen on your favourite podcast app.

Free teaching resources have been developed for select episodes of Tai Asks Why! If you — or someone you know — teaches middle-school science, health, language or social studies, visit cbc.ca/teachingguides to learn more.

Free teaching resources have been developed for select episodes of Tai Asks Why! If you — or someone you know — teaches middle-school science, health, language or social studies, visit cbc.ca/teachingguides to learn more.